Thelonious Monk
' Thelonious Sphere Monk '(October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight," "Blue Monk," "Ruby, My Dear," "In Walked Bud," and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington, which is particularly remarkable as Ellington composed more than 1,000 pieces, whereas Monk wrote about 70. His compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodic twists, and are consistent with Monk's unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations. He was renowned for his distinctive style in suits, hats, and sunglasses. He was also noted for an idiosyncratic habit observed at times during performances: while the other musicians in the band continued playing, he would stop, stand up from the keyboard, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano. Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time, after Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Duke Ellington, and before Wynton Marsalis. Tossup Questions # This musician's piece "Rhythm-a-Ning" first appeared on an album he recorded with Gerry Mulligan titled Mulligan Meets Him. This musician's unique style included rapid descending whole-tone scales. One of his late albums includes the Japanese folk song "Moon Over Ruined Castle" and begins with "Locomotive"; that album is titled for his standard "Straight, No Chaser." At the 1957 benefit concert "Thanksgiving Jazz," John Coltrane played with this man's quartet at Carnegie Hall. His "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" appeared on his album Brilliant Corners. This man wrote "Well, You Needn't" and "Epistrophy." For 10 points, name this Jazz pianist and composer of "Round Midnight." # A song written by this man had lyrics like "Haven't got the heart to stand those memories" and "Let the angels sing / for your returning" added to it by Bernie Hanighen. An album recorded by a group led by this man features a memorable Johnny Griffin improvisation on the track "In Walked Bud". He played celesta on a song named for the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter that appears on the same album as a song he co-wrote with Denzil Best called (*) "Bemsha Swing". Groups led by this man recorded the albums Misterioso and Brilliant Corners, while his Genius of Modern Music series included recordings of "Epistrophy" and "Well, You Needn't". His highly percussive playing style was mocked by Philip Larkin, who called him an "elephant on the keyboard". For 10 points, name this jazz pianist of "Straight No Chaser" and the most recorded jazz standard ever, "Round Midnight." # One song by this musician begins with him alternating between the notes G and C and was first composed for an album named after his "trio." Another song by this musician of "Bemsha Swing" begins with alternating C sharp and D seventh chords and was composed with Kenny Clarke; that song was "Epistrophy." Trumpeter Clark Terry and saxophonist (*) Sonny Rollins were among the several performers who joined this man on the album Brilliant Corners. This performer frequently used dissonance and often played with a percussive banging on the keys of his instrument. For 10 points, identify this jazz pianist who composed "Round Midnight" and "Straight, No Chaser." # One of this man's albums opens with the horn section of the septet playing a rendition of "Abide with Me," while "Green Chimneys" and "Boo-Boo's Birthday" accompanied his only waltz, "Ugly Beauty," on his late album Underground. A namesake 1957 album includes audio of this man shouting "Coltrane! Coltrane!" and the first recording of "Crepuscule with Nellie." Another album by this man contains a track named for his friend the Baroness de Koenigswater and a title track spliced together from twenty-five incomplete takes by Orrin Keepnews of Riverside. That album also contains a track built around a descending C Spanish Phrygian scale called "Bemsha Swing". This composer of "Brilliant Corners" released four albums called Genius of Modern Music, the first of which contains his track "Epistrophy". For 10 points, name this jazz pianist best known for works like "Well, You Needn't", "Straight, No Chaser", and the prodigiously-recorded "Round Midnight". # Early in his career, this performer performed with Bud Powell and Charlie Christian at Minton's Playhouse. He recorded "Epistrophy" with the Cootie Williams Orchestra, and produced the track "I Surrender Dear" in the album Brilliant Corners. His first characteristic albums issued by Blue Note include Evidence, Criss Cross, and an arrangement of Carolina Moon. He recorded "Bag's Groove" with Miles Davis and along with such luminaries as Dizzy Gilespie and Sonny Stitt was a member of the Giants of Jazz. Two of his most famous pieces are "Fifty-Second Street Theme" and "Straight No Chaser". For 10 points, name this jazz pianist from Harlem who wore funny hats and composed "Round Midnight".